Video games were introduced as a commercial entertainment medium in 1971, becoming the bas

Following the Korean War, the strong American military presence in Japan also served to expand the coin-operated amusement industry into that country. Because World War II had greatly depleted Japan's manufacturing infrastructure, the early coin-operated companies in Japan were generally established

Russell, Witanen, and Graetz wanted to create a program that would test and tax the new computer's capabilities and drew on their love of science fiction in deciding to make a game involving spaceships. Russell was primarily responsible for the design of the game, which was finished in 1962. Called Spacewar!, the final product featured two ships dubbed the "Wedge" and the "Needle" for their shapes that two players controlled and moved around the screen while firing torpedoes at each other.